Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-29
rue FErEs ar FLOKENCE,
The Concluding letter of the series ly
Rev. r. A. Hopkins.

Rev. T. A. Hopkins.
To tic Editor Of the Free Frcss:
promised in my last letter to speak of
the astonishing fire works with which for
five clear calm, warm and dark nights
Florence entertained herself and her thou
sands of guests ut the fetes The River
Arno divides Florence uncqually, for two
miles of its course It's right bank is called
Lang Arno, - and is wide paved street,
open to the river its whole length on one
side and built up closely with very fine pal
aces, stores and hotels on the other. 1t
commands fine view of Michael Angelo
Square" which rises on the other side of
the river to the height of $50 feet. The fire
works were all located there On each OF
those five nights the spectators 50 thronged
that river bank that it looked as though the
human faces were as numerous as the paw
Ing stones under them. At least, no one
was absent from that crowd that could get
into it, Of the 40, 600 then in the city.
Notice was sounded in clear tones on the
cornet- as in the army. "At-tcn-tionr
and the people attended. Bang bang,
went Il mortar as loud aS cannon in battle
screaming with long sad wall up few the
bomb a minute spcck of light Reaching
300 feet of elevation, with the hill, go feet
above Che spectators it burst with rever-
h"rating report, into such a mass of millions
of stars, red, blue. green, white brown,
golden yellow. violet and white, as to cover
"A space OF sky as large as half our central
square in Burlington. Every eye was daz-
lied, every face was lighted up.
But before the delighted people had finish
ed their three miles long of hand clapping,
bang, went the mortar again And the
speck of light swiftly assembled high into
the pitchy dark The explosion of the bomb
was most violent, and in three successive
detonatons At the first explosion, mag
nficant palm tree stood up against the sky,
and 80 golden branches flashed from a
centre radiating 800 feet in diameter. As
each branch shot out it deposited a colored
star from its very tip. The tree trunk fire
streamed downward for 300 feet steadily to
! the earth. At the second explosion tof the
same bomb)a second set of 30 branches shot
out little below the Others and each
branch likewise deposited its star. At the
! third explosion (Of still the same bomb .
more branches did the same till we had an
immense tree 800 feet to the top, having
three tiers of branches and stars, numbering
in all 90 branches and 80 stars, these last
being of every color and, being dropped
from the tips in three circumference of the
whole Then the tree faded but the colored
stars slowly passed to the hills in the gentle
breeze remaining over 10 minutes in sight.
The next bomb repeated the palm tree
with heightened effect At p'oson one
our vast trunk and 30 branches instantly
flashed into the air 500 feet high, and about
400 feet diameter At explosion two, each
tip flashed into three longer tips. At ex-
plosion three. each again flashed out three
more tips from each tip, and there the
whole stood with one fiery trunk and $50
branches, all now about 600 feet in diam
eter. and looking as though it had a million
branches.
But space again warns me to close. | can
ONLY add that on this scale We're produced
in fire works representations of growing
ferns of stupendous size with their curled
heads globular dahlas, 400 feet diameter;
whole schools of swimming fish high on
the dark heavens chasing each other in cir
Giles over the sky; pollywogs and tadpoles
were sent laboriousy sCuling up from the
ground 30 of them at once as though in
race WEIGHING their fiery tails 90 feet long,
till the people laughed and laughed again.
There seemed no end to the variety of de
signs used. No two pyrotechnics We're ex-
actlv alike Not only the forms but the
colors used were astonishing. The dis
charges were as loud as the artillery in bat
in continual echo to the apparent fusilade.
But for once 'Nillainous Saltpetre'O as
Shakespeare calls gunpowder wrought
only fun and sport, and called up only
smiles and joy, and no tears. 1t was now
only doing its best to proclaim the happl-
ness of the people in their United Italy,
in their good sovereigns, III their art poetry
and religion, typified all along this length
ened series of reioicmgs, and used SO who
could do less than welcome it.
, But all | have described were feeting
They were of the order of rockets and Ru-
. man candles, only vastly enlarged in power
and elaborated in design. Beside the~e
the second part of each evening brought into
view large set pieces, placed ON huge frames
60 feet high one admirably represented st.
J Peters church at Rome, with its famous
dome and renowned curved colonades, an
other the well known "PalaZ2o Nechio,
e old palace. and III Bargelo,' now the
e National Museum, both Of Florence Also
: there were dozens of revolving fire works.
. All the large pieces burned for five minutes
) in intensely white light, next this changed
y to deep red then the red changed to dark
a blue. lastly the blue to black, the who'll
e continuing over 20 minutes.
Verify we shall have to add pyrotechnlc'
to the list of the fine arts, wont we; What
will Italy, Queen of arts, vote on thai
question? Well now, good bye, beautiful
: Florence. You have unveiled to us Rossini
Donatelo your own history for centuries
e your matchleSs cathedral, and your presen
e splendor and sympathy with United Italy
J. and your noble pride III the nation, and IL
, parting YOU have set them all forth in TIN
= blaze and crown of glory which none of u
i can ever forget.
a THEODORE \. HOPKINS.
"a